Review: Siege and Storm

Siege and Storm by Leigh Bardugo

4 out of 5 stars 

(Mild spoilers, but spoilers nonetheless)

I was left at a high with Shadow and Bone, I had hopelessly fallen in love with both the story and The Darkling. The world building & plot in the Grisha Trilogy are just unbelievably enthralling. 

The Darkling, is a villain in its own category. 

In Seige & Storm we find Alina and Mal fleeing Ravka and running from The Darkling and the repercussions of having thwarted his plans for expanding the Shadow Fold. 

I had mixed feelings about Mal at the end of S&B, I loved him but yet I also wanted to punch him. Not much has changed in that aspect except maybe I’m even more in love with Mal than I already was but I probably still want to punch him just as much if not more than before. I just find him so selfish at times!

Alina, I’m still very fond of Alina, she is so brave and determined even though, as anyone would, sometimes hesitates and succumbs to challenges that come her way. There are certain points in the story where she pisses me off by not being honest and upfront with Mal, especially about what’s happening with The Darkling. 

Nikolai, I can totally see them hooking up in the future but though he is definitely swoon worthy, I just don’t ship them, nothing against him, as a mater of fact in many ways he is so much of a better option than Mal and The Darkling but I am already so torn about those two that I think my conscious mind refuses to ship them and a third guy in the mix! lol

I do want some tense-jealous confrontation between Mal and Nikolai in the future though, nothing better than two hot guys fighting over you (in Alina’s case 3 hot guys).

The Darkling. My only complain in S&S regarding him is, NOT ENOUGH DARKLING! 

I was blindsided by the new, and very creepy, power The Darkling has acquired, and honestly I really don’t know how I feel about that yet. 

The Darkling remains my favorite villain ever and I still very much ship him and Alina, though I remain very torn between him and Mal.

The massacre at the end left me a bit unstable; The Darkling is one cold hearted bastard! (I still love him), and the question left unanswered, as to how they will face each other next will kill me! 6 month wait till feel like Chinese torture! 

Well played Leigh! Well played!